Zula Marie Roy Blanchard

Zula passed away peacefully on September 21, 2015 at Flannery Oaks Guest House, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A native of Leroy, Louisiana and resident of Baton Rouge, she was born on December 2, 1915 and lived her whole life as a devout Catholic who loved the Lord, her family, and all those whom she met. She was raised on a farm outside of Leroy, the daughter of proud, hard-working rice farmers of Acadian descent, Exale Roy and Victorine Landry, who preceded her in death. Her native tongue was Cajun French, and as a young girl, she attended Indian Bayou Elementary School. She was a loving wife and mother dedicated to her family and to her husband, Dewey Blanchard, who preceded her in death. During World War II, Zula, her husband and oldest daughter lived in New Orleans. They moved to Baton Rouge in 1949, where she became a member of St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church. She joined the Altar Rosary Society and was a member of the neighborhood ladies' weekly Rosary prayer group. She also actively participated in a Bible Study Group sponsored by St. Gerard Church, hosting many of the study-group sessions in her home. Zula loved music and singing and dancing. She was an exceptional cook, an exquisite seamstress, and an extraordinary homemaker who loved hosting family and friends. She was sweet, full of life, and even feisty at times, always steadfast in her convictions, yet quick to forgive and forget; a gracious lady to all, who had a smile for everyone, even while suffering from Alzheimer's in her later years. She was blessed with a huge capacity for love. She is survived by her son Daniel Mark Blanchard and sons-in-law John Bourgeois, Sr. and Thomas Lefebvre; seven grandchildren and spouses: John Bourgeois, Jr. and wife Lisa, Diana Bourgeois Graham, grandson-in-law Ricky Soileau, Michael Bourgeois and wife Denise, James Bourgeois and wife Diane, Marie Bourgeois Bernard and husband George, Corey Lefebvre and wife Heather, Sarah Lefebvre Hancock and husband Tom. In addition to her husband and parents, she is preceded in death by her brothers: Eutis and Willie Roy, her sisters: Mary Edith and Algene Mary Roy, her daughters: Jocelyn Blanchard Bourgeois and Deborah Blanchard Lefebvre, and grand-daughter Theresa Bourgeois Soileau. The family thanks Zula's care-givers for their kind and expert help in caring for our mother during the last years of her life spent at home. The family also thanks the staff at Flannery Oaks Guest House for the care and compassion shown to Mrs. Zula these last seven years. Visitation will be at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East, 11000 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge, La. 70815 Tuesday, September 22, 2015, from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Visitation will resume on Wednesday, September 23, 2015, at St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, 5354 Plank Rd., Baton Rouge, LA. 70805, from 9:00 am until Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am. Interment will follow at Holy Rosary Cemetery, 1300-1362 American Legion Road, Kaplan, La. 70548. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association. Donne-lui, Seigneur, le repos éternel, et que la lumière perpétuelle brille sur elle.